Early learning?

How did Brian get so good?

I have to confess that I have only recently got back into the Stray Cats (and playing guitar) after a very long lay-off, I saw them in 83 and was a big fan at the time but then totally lost touch with them. Until a few months ago when I started looking around places like this I didn't even know about the BSO!
All this is good for me of course because I have loads of stuff to hear for the first time but back to my original question.

How the hell was he that good, that young? I seem to recall an interview in NME (British music paper) or something about 27 years ago which said he had been 'classically' trained. From his encyclopaedic knowledge of chords and scales I'd say that makes sense but where did he learn and who taught 'im.
Knowing this stuff won't make me play any better but I'm just very interested to know.
Looking back at those early vids now and there's this kid ripping the best licks from that Gretsch I've ever seen, back then I was just a kid myself so it didn't hit me that hard but now it just bowls me over.

Good grief he was (is) good!

Hey mate,
I'm not a guitar player but I can tell you that Brian started playing the guitar when he was 8 and he took lessons for a while with an old man (who passed away not long ago); this man, was very strict with Brian (as far as I know; this has been said by Brian himself to a Spanish paper back in 1998)

However, this must be put forward:
Brian has always been very talented, and this makes stuff easier.

My eldest brother is a musician himself too and he plays very well right now but I think it was much more because of the amount of hours he practised rather than any other thing on earth.

I've known some guitar players who can perform very well (i mean, making chords, playing many notes per second) but they lack in musicality.

Brian, as well as Lee Rocker, Slim Jim Phantom are talented in both performing and musical skills.

Hope you even become more interested by knowing this facts!

welcome to the board

Brian took Jazz-Lessons, that's where he knows all that scales and Chords from.

Like what has been said already, Brian was well-trained theory and lesson wise, and he also has a tremendous amount of natural talent and ability, both musically and with the instrument. He also started, musically, before the guitar with singing as a youngster and also playing a horn (the euphonium). So, he already had some musical training before seriously studying the guitar. Both may have given him a sense of melody and phrasing that only helped to shape his development as a guitarist and musician.

All this, however, doesn't take away from the hard work and effort that he put into his craft. The results speak for themselves, but I'm often also astonished by what he was/is still able to do on the instrument, but especially at such a young age. He's also pretty good at composing his own music too, and that's something that separates a great musician from a great guitarist; of which he is both.

By the way the gentleman that Brian took lessons from was Ray Gogarty, a jazz guitarist and legendary musician in his own right. On this or the old B.S. forum's archives, there was a whole topic with more info. about Ray Gogarty, including a great photo of him with several other jazz guitar legends.

Capt. Jones